The Cardings Effect
by guinevere'sghost
Summary: Stanford and Stanley Pines are not simply brothers, but the best of friends. In 18 years, they've never had need for anyone but each other. Enter Theodora, a new girl and daughter of a science professor, who has taken an interest in Ford. While Stan struggles with accepting a new person into their lives, Ford tries to know this girl, who is unlike anyone else he's ever met.
1. Chapter 1

She had just dumped her entire glass of punch on him. He was wet, sticky, and now his suit was stained purple. Depressed, dejected, Stanford Pines gave a great sigh of defeat. Girls just weren't his expertise. Ask him to rewire a radio? Translate hieroglyphs? Recite all of pi? He could do that. He had no problem doing that. Ask him to talk to a female? Yeah…well.

There was a chuckle beside him, then a subsequent splash as his twin brother, Stanley, dumped his own punch on his own head to release tension. If his brother was going to look like an idiot through no fault of his own, then so was Stanley, damn it!

It'd always been that way. They looked out for each other through thick and thin. Through all of the challenges that presented themselves in their lives, they had each other. When Stanley was forced to take boxing lessons by their father, Stanford looked up and carried out the best way to patch up his scrapes and soothe his bruises. When Stanford got beaten up by a group of high schoolers in the seventh grade, Stanley beat up the high schoolers. Stanley cheated off of Stanford's homework when he was struggling in school. Stanford convinced Stanley to teach him some fighting stances to scare off bullies. When Stanford got punch thrown on him by Laura Steele, Stanley took it upon himself to be covered in punch too.

They laughed at each other a bit, standing there in their sticky, disgusting glory, until she came scurrying up to them, navy dancing gown ruffling around her shins.

"Oh my gosh, are you alright?" She asked with quiet astonishment. Her brown eyes were wide with worry, her short, round fingers placed carefully on her lips.

It took Stanley all of four seconds to try to be charming. "I'm fine, sweetheart," he rasped in his gravelly voice, but she ignored him.

"I saw what happened," she continued, grabbing a stack of napkins from the table behind the boys. She took them directly to Stanford and began dabbing at his stained jacket. "Don't pay any attention to her. I hear Laura's a total bitch anyway."

"I, uh…" Stanford stammered. There was a girl talking to him. A girl who, in their miniscule town, he had never seen before. A girl who had randomly, willingly, just wandered up to him.

"You're damn right she is!" Stanley was saying now. "She covered both of us in punch!" He gestured to his own red stained suit.

"You did that to yourself," she commented, barely glancing back at him. "But she attacked your poor brother here." The girl had given up on the jacket and moved to Stanford's face and hair. "Who are you two anyway?" she asked as she pulled his glasses off of his face to clean them.

"I'm Stan Pines," Stanley replied confidently. "Stud, strong guy, all around hunk." He tried flexing, as if this would impress anyone while he was soaking wet. The girl just stared blankly at him and continued to rub Stanford's glasses lenses with a napkin. Stan gave up, embarrassed. "And, uh, this is my brother, Ford. He's smart and stuff."

"Ford." She smiled when she said it. He could hear it in her voice. She handed him his glasses, now clean, and grinned up at him.

"Uh, Stanford, actually," he struggled, straightening the lenses on his nose.

"Stanford, then." He loved the way she said it. He never wanted anyone to say it again. Her voice, a little nasal, mostly sweet and syrupy, with a sugary smile and sunshine, like a favorite piece of candy to a little kid. Her voice was the only voice he ever wanted to say his name again.

They sort of just stood there for a moment, her dabbing absentmindedly at his still damp face, him hoping his glasses weren't fogging up, staring at each other, until Stan cleared his throat. She jumped at bit. Ford let out the breath he'd been holding. They both turned to look at Stan.

"So who are you then?" he asked, looking frustrated. "We know everyone in this town. Why don't we know you?"

"Oh! Sorry!" a blush crept onto her elevated cheekbones. "I'm Theodora. Theodora Cardings. My parents and I just moved here from Virginia. It's my first week." She held out her hand to Stan, like she wanted him to shake it. He ignored it. She lowered it, slowly, awkwardly, and turned back to Ford and dabbing at him. "Sorry, I just—you know, this really isn't working. Can we go clean you guys up somewhere else?"

Stan scoffed at her. "Like where? You aren't coming into the boy's bathroom."

She flushed again. "I meant—I—look. I have access to my dad's classroom. Let's just go there." She turned around and started to walk toward the door, red-stained napkins still in hand. "Are you coming?" She asked over her shoulder. Stan glared hard at the back of her head until she turned around. He had no intention of going with this girl. She rubbed him the wrong way. It didn't matter how hot she was. She huffed, visibly, and sauntered back to where the boys were still standing in their puddles of stick.

"Look. I'm just trying to help. Both of you. I know a place where you can get cleaned up, I'm good at removing fresh stains, and I doubt your mother wants to see her sons come home like this." She was saying it to Stan, with whom she was having a glaring contest. "But if you want her to flip because of all the money she spent on your now ruined tuxes, that's fine. I don't have to help."

There was a moment of silence as they continued to shoot fire at each other with their stares. Then Ford spoke up, for the first time. "She's right, Stan," he whispered. "Mom'll kill us."

"Fine." Stan spit the word at her: This tiny girl with her squeaky voice and stupid little nose that turned up just a bit on the end like a pug. She, in return, spun in a sharp circle on her heal, nearly smacking him in the face with her curls, and stalked off into the hallway.

The twins followed, Ford ahead of Stan, their shoes squelching with every step down the hall. It took a while to get to where they were going. It was like she was taking them all the way to the—Ford realized that she was leading them to the science lab. He knew that lab better than anything. It was in the farthest corner of the school, away from the gym, and it had less than state-of-the-art equipment. They lived in New Jersey, for chissake. He didn't expect much else. It was where he spent most of his afternoons though. He studied there and conducted what experiments he could; it was some of the only time he spent away from his brother. But why would Theodora be leading them there?

"Theodora—" he started.

"Call me Theo. Everyone does." She had turned and was walking backwards and smiling at him again. That smile. He swallowed a rock in his throat.

"Uh, why are you taking us to the science lab?"

"I told you. I'm taking you guys to my dad's classroom to clean you up." She raised an eyebrow, as if this should've been obvious.

"But, your dad doesn't—"

"Oh!" She interrupted him again. Stan huffed a laugh beside him. "I forgot! You haven't met him yet! Dad's taking over the science program on Monday. They were letting him get settled into town before he started work."

"Your dad's the new science teacher?" the rock dropped to Ford's stomach. Of _course_ the pretty girl's father was the new science advisor. Of _course_ the room he spent the most time in would be the one her father now had dominion over.

"Yup! Doctor Thomas Cardings. Scientist extraordinary!" She giggled.

"If he doesn't start until Monday how're we gonna get in, oh wise one?" Stan asked roughly.

"He gave me the key!" She reached down the front of her dress and pulled out a key, hanging on a leather rope around her neck. "For emergencies only." She paused outside the door and, key in the lock, turned to look at the two juice-covered boys in front of her. "This is definitely an emergency."

She turned the key, opened the door, and wandered into the dark classroom. "I, uh, I don't know where the lights are," she admitted. They flickered on seconds after she said it. Whirling around to see how such a thing had happened, she found Ford in the corner, hand over the switch. "Oh. Thanks, Stanford." She smiled again. Why did she keep smiling? It was starting to get infuriating. "What do I need, what do I—oh! Right!" Theo scampered to one of the cupboards in the corner and, turning the lock to the proper combination, opened it and pulled out a bottle filled with some sort of clear liquid. "18B6," she read off the label. "Perfect!"

"What is that stuff?" Stan asked, still indignant.

"Solution 18B6." She carried the bottle to the sink in the back corner of the room. "It's of Dad's own invention—he uses it to clean lab equipment, but it works really well as a stain remover too." She shook the bottle's contents and looked expectantly at the boys. "Okay. Coats and ties off, both of you."

They just stared at her. "I don't know that we should just put that on our clothes, Theodora," Ford said nervously.

"I always do," she replied. "What, do you want to examine it to make sure it's safe?" She laughed.

She was being sarcastic, but Ford looked at her in all seriousness and said "Yes, if you don't mind."

"Oh." Theo was taken aback. "Um, yeah, okay. Here." She tossed him the bottle. He set it on a lab bench and pulled a few beakers and test tubes from a nearby shelf before wandering to the chemical closet.

"6-19-23" he muttered as he twirled the combination lock. His shoes were still squeaking and leaving sticky prints on the floor as he carried an armload of chemicals to the bench.

"But how do you—"

"Ah, just let him go to work," Stand interrupted Theo and threw himself onto a stool. "Just hurry up, Ford. There are nicer, more appealing people in the gym." He glared at Theo.

"Oh, do you mean stupider, sluttier girls who won't give you the time of day anyway because you're _still covered in punch_?"

"Listen, sweetheart, no one asked you to help, which, by the way, you haven't done at all!"

"I'm trying! But maybe I shouldn't have, you ass!"

"What'd you just call me?"

"An _ass._ And a dumb one at that."

"Why I oughta—"

"Would you both just shut up?" Ford yelled over them. He had removed his jacket and rolled up his sleeves while they were arguing. "I'm trying to work. And we shouldn't be in here anyway."

"Oh, no, it's fine. Daddy won't mind as long as you don't blow anything up." Theodora hoisted herself onto the bench so that she was sitting next to Ford's experimenting. "You…you're not going to blow anything up, are you, Stanford?"

"Of course not." He squinted at his experiment as he combined Dr. Carding's solution and what looked to be some sort of base in a test tube. "And everyone calls me Ford."

"Eh, I kind of like 'Stanford.'" She was doing it again—pouring all of the syrupy sweetness into the way she said his name. His breath caught in his throat a bit when he glance up to find her grinning down at him, swinging her legs from her perch on the bench. "So how do you know what you're doing?" She wasn't being rude, just curious.

Ford cleared his throat and repositioned his glasses on his nose. "I, uh, I don't do much of anything else. Other than experiment, that is."

"He locks himself in here every afternoon," Stan grumbled from his stool. "Doesn't leave until the janitors kick him out."

Theo's eyes grew wide as her smile stretched farther. "You're that kid?"

Ford's hands stilled. "I'm sorry, ' _that kid_ '?" His eyebrows furrowed.

"When they hired my dad they told him that there was this one student he'd really love having. Some kid who stayed late and did a bunch of experimenting and stuff." She picked up one of the test tubes and twirled it, mixing its contents. "He's so excited to meet you; you're really going to like him."

Ford reached out and took the tube from her hands, his chest growing tight for half a second when his fingers brushed against hers. "Well I hope you'll put in a good word for me, Theodora." The corner of his mouth turned up just a bit.

"It's Theo."

"Eh, I kind of like 'Theodora.'" Her smile went wide again and his grew to match, albeit tentatively. Theo allowed her eyes to wander Ford's face. He was smiling. She decided that she liked it when he did that. At the same time, Ford was admiring the way her eyes held a sparkle and how her cheeks dimpled when she smiled big enough.

"Ugh. You're making me sick." They both jumped and turned to look at Stan, who they'd nearly forgotten was there.

Ford cleared his throat again. "Right. Well. It looks like the solution is safe to use. So."

"I told you." Theo jumped off the bench and carried the solution bottle back to the sink. "Jackets and ties, both of you."

Stan looked uncertainly at Ford. "You're sure about this?"

"It's not going to have any negative effects," Ford told him as he started to tug off his tie. "It's perfectly safe."

"Not what I meant."

"What are you—wha—just take off your tie." Ford was stammering as he squelched toward Theo and handed her his own.

He opened his mouth to ask how he could help, but she stopped him before he could. "Could you actually go grab a spray nozzle from the cabinet behind the desk? It'll make application a lot easier."

"Oh, uh, yea, sure."

"Thanks, Stanford." She smiled at his back while he walked away from her, admiring the way his punch-stained shirt pulled across his shoulders. He wasn't muscular, exactly, but he was toned well, from what she could tell.

"Hey." Stan was suddenly in front of her, blocking her view of his brother. "What're you playing at, here?"

Her brow furrowed. "What're you talking about, Stanley?"

"Look, I don't know what you think you're doing, but you're too friendly for my tastes and I'm going to figure out what you're trying to do to Ford."

"What do you think I would possibly do to him?" His finger was pointing in her face and she carefully lifted her own hand to push it away. "I have no intention of hurting either of you in any way."

"Yeah, right." Stan laughed, but there was no humor in it. "No girl has ever given Ford the time of day and nothing you can say will convince me that that's suddenly changed."

"I wanted to help. That's all." Her stare was hard.

"That can't be all." Their glares were matching at this point, neither backing down.

"Look. Laura's a bitch. I saw what happened. I would've helped no matter what." Stan rolled his eyes. "But, Stanford is cute and, from what I've seen, extremely smart. I'm going to pay attention to that. Maybe you should get used to the fact that for once a girl is more interested in your brother than you."

"That's not at all what I'm saying! I'm just trying to look out for—"

"What're you two whispering about over here?" Ford had wandered up behind them again, spray nozzle in hand.

"Stanley's just being stubborn," Theo said, taking the nozzle from him. "Maybe you can convince him that this is safe and he can trust me."

Ford turned to look at his brother. "Really, Stan, it's perfectly safe. Mom'll kill us if we show up at home like this. We really should let—"

"Okay, okay." He tugged his jacket over his shoulders. "Here. Take it."

"Thank you," Theo sang as she stole it from his hand. She gave them both a once over. "I may want to do your shirts too. I didn't realize how bad they were."

Stan growled. "No. That's where I draw the line. We'll go home with stained shirts. I'm not taking it off." His teeth were clenched as he glared between his brother and this short, curvy devil.

"Uh, yeah. We'll just—we'll just take care of it at home," Ford agreed, nervously scratching the back of his neck.

Theo shrugged. "Suit yourself."

Things were quiet for a long while as Theo scrubbed at their ties and jackets. When she had gotten the stains out, she turned to face the twins, coats slung over her arms. "All done!" She tried handing them over.

"Don't they need to dry?" Ford asked, looking at her incredulously.

"Oh, no. 18B6 dries really quickly. They may be just a bit damp around the cuffs, but they'll be dry by the time you leave." She held his jacket out to him. "See?" He reached out to feel the mostly dried fabric and, with wide, surprised eyes, Theo grabbed his hand. "You have six fingers!"

Ford froze. She was holding his hand. Not really holding it in a romantic sense, of course, but his hand was in hers. She was running her fingers over the front and back of his palm, examining it. She had physical contact with him. "I, uh, yeah. I do." D

"You were born with this?" There was evident wonder in her voice as she kept turning his hand around in her own.

"Yeah."

"Wow. Dad'll really get a kick out of you. This is so cool." She looked up at him suddenly, as if realizing how odd and rude she was being. "Sorry. Here you go." She let go and handed back his jacket and tie then distributed Stan's as well. He was being oddly quiet as he pulled both back on.

"There. Good as new," Theo proclaimed, taking in the sight of them both. "Almost." She reached out to both of them to straighten their ties. First, Stan, who she could feel glaring at her as she did it, then Ford, whose breath she heard get caught in his throat as soon as she reached out to him. She tucked a dark curl behind her ear and smiled up at him. "Now you're perfect."

Stan snorted again, causing her to jump away from his brother. "Both of you, I meant. Of course." She was flustered as she put everything back in its place and locked up the cabinets again. She sighed, though, when she looked at the clock above her father's desk. "Oh, I'm sorry, you guys. I made you miss the rest of the dance."

Ford showed up next to her suddenly. "It's fine, really."

At the same time, Stan said from behind her: "figures."

Ford glared back at him. "Really. If we'd gone home in the state we were, we'd have been dead men. Thanks for helping."

"Anytime." They stood there, smiling at each other for a moment before Theo shook her head. "You two should get going. I'll lock up and make sure everything is in order."

Stan was already moving to leave when Ford paused. "Do you need a ride home?"

"Oh, no. I live just down the street. I'll be fine." She looked up from the lock she was checking. "Thanks though."

"Oh, um, of course. Thanks again." Ford started moving backwards toward the door where his brother was waiting.

"Of course. Happy to help." Theo smiled one last time at him. Ford waved and managed to run into a lab bench. His face now red, Theo giggling behind him, he hurried to the door. He heard her calling after them: "See you two around!"

She kept a smile on her face as she locked up her father's classroom and wandered home. Stanley Pines would not be getting rid of her. She was going to be hanging around his brother quite a bit, if she had anything to say about it.


	2. Chapter 2

They had gotten home safely, been scolded by their mother, and found their way to their bedroom before Stan opened his mouth.

"What a weird chick, right?" he laughed as he tugged his tie off and set to the buttons on his still stained shirt.

"I didn't find her weird at all," Ford replied. "She was very nice." He moved a stack of books off of his bed before starting to undress.

"She was crazy! She kept poking her nose where it didn't belong and she just wouldn't _shut up_! I swear, if I have to hear her stupid little voice again, I'll—"

"Why did you have such a problem with her?" Ford interrupted, now standing in front of his brother with shirt in hand, staring at him incredulously. "There was nothing wrong with Theodora."

"Ugh. That stupid name! What were her parents thinking with that one?" Stan wasn't looking Ford in the eyes, instead making himself busy searching for a t-shirt that didn't smell too awfully in the giant pile of clothing at the foot of his bed.

"It's a beautiful name," Ford retorted, continuing to get ready for bed. "It suits her quite nicely, I think." He grinned to himself, picturing her smile.

Stan made a strangled noise in his throat. "You make me sick."

Ford turned to him again. "What?"

"I'm sorry that I didn't enjoy being a witness to whatever weird mating ritual was taking place tonight. It was like she was controlling you or something with her giant, disturbing eyes."

"I liked her eyes." Ford was grinning again, a far off look on his face.

"Oh, snap out of it! I don't know what her game is, but it can't be good." Stan was still digging in the t-shirt pile.

"Why does there have to be some ulterior motive?" Ford's bed squeaked as he sat down on it and looked at his brother. "Couldn't she have just been being nice?"

"No girl in this town has ever just been nice."

"But she's not from here. Her family just moved from—"

"It doesn't matter. Girls don't get so involved in the lives of two guys they barely know. It's weird. She's weird."

Ford looked at his brother, hard, and finally said what he'd been thinking since Stan had brought it up. "Are you sure you weren't just jealous that the pretty girl was paying attention to me for once?"

Stan's head snapped up and he stared at his twin, mouth hanging open. "What? That's ridiculous!"

"You tried hitting on her when you first saw her!" Ford tried to defend himself.

"Yeah, but it doesn't matter how hot a chick is if she's a freak!"

"She wasn't a—"

"And don't get me wrong. This girl is pretty cute. She's got an average face, and from what I could tell in that dress, her body is not lacking—"

"Stan, that's really not—"

"But she's so weird! I mean, she just has a key to the science lab _around her neck?_ She has a questionable, unknown solution for removing stains? She tries to convince us to _strip_ in front of her? And she's _so annoying_! She just wouldn't leave us alone! I mean—"

"She was lovely Stan," Ford interrupted. His eyebrows were furrowed, but not angrily. He almost looked disappointed. "She was absolutely lovely, and you know it." He paused, as if waiting for Stan to challenge him, but his brother had evidently decided not to speak for once. "She was beautiful and sweet and smart, and all she wanted to do was help. I don't know _what_ your problem with her is, but she was wonderful and I really hope that I get to spend time with her again." He laid down in his bed and stared at the ceiling. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I'd like to go to bed. I have both of our homework to do tomorrow."

Stan stood there, silent, just watching Ford. He'd never seen him so disappointed. He didn't know what to make of his brother's behavior. There was no way that Ford actually liked this girl. No way. He'd only just met her, anyway. Why was he being so defensive?

 _Give it a week_ , Stan thought. _She's just a girl. She's bound to lose interest eventually. Nothing to worry about._ Out loud, he just muttered "Whatever" and switched off the light before climbing into his own bed, still without a clean shirt. _Nothing to worry about at all._

…

"Sweetheart, is that you?" A call sounded through the large Victorian house as Theo closed the front door.

"Yeah, I'm home!" She made her way to the kitchen, where she found her parents, sharing a pot of tea and a batch of cookies. She snatched one off the tray as she sat down with them.

"How was the dance, sweetie?" Her mother asked. "Did you have fun?"

"Yeah, yeah, it was a lot of fun. I really enjoyed it." She took a bite of the cookie in her hand and hoped she wasn't blushing.

"Did you meet anyone? Make some new friends?" Theo only nodded, her mouth full of cookie. By now, though, her father had looked up to notice the red color flowing into his daughter's cheeks.

"Hmm." He glanced between his wife and daughter. "Seems like you found a little more than just a 'friend,' Theo." His wife seemed to just now realize how deeply their daughter was blushing, and suddenly set in.

"Oooo! Did you meet a boy?" Mrs. Cardings leaned in and stared intently at her daughter. "Tell me all about it!"

Theo swallowed quickly. "What? No! No, there's—there's nothing to tell!" She took another bite of the cookie, but nearly choked on it when her dad opened his mouth again.

"Oh yeah, she's definitely got something secret going on. And it's definitely boy-related." He grinned at her.

"Actually," Theo said, hoping to change the subject, "I did meet someone you'll really like, Dad."

"Oh, really?" He stood to take his cup to the sink. "Is he the boy you have a thing for?"

"What? I—he—he's really into science. He's the one the administration was telling you about! Apparently he stays in the lab as long as they let him; he was really fascinated by 18B6. Said that he'd never seen anything like it and he was really looking forward to learning from you. He seems really smart."

"How'd this boy come into contact with 18B6, exactly?" Mr. Cardings leaned against the sink and watched his daughter, his arms crossed firmly across his chest.

"Oh. Well. That's a long story." Theo picked up the cookie tray and her mother's cup and carried them to the sink to wash.

"Do tell." Mr. Cardings' eyes were still trained on Theo.

Mrs. Cardings stood slowly. "You two enjoy your geeky smart-people time. I'm going up to bed."

"Goodnight mom," Theo called over her shoulder.

"I'll be up in a bit, hun." Mr. Cardings kissed his wife's cheek when she presented it and watched her leave before turning his attention back to his daughter. "So. Smart boy. In contact with 18B6. Why?"

"Well…" Theo wouldn't look her dad in the eye. She knew she wasn't in trouble necessarily, but she also knew her dad could read her better than anyone and she didn't want him to know how interested she was in Stanford. Instead, she focused meticulously on washing the dishes. "He and his brother both got punch dumped on them and I wanted to help, so I brought them to the lab."

Mr. Cardings was watching her scrub the same cup over and over again. She wouldn't look at him. He wasn't going to punish her for going into the lab—he was the one who'd given her the key after all—but he really just wanted her to talk to him again. He knew that the move had been hard on her, and she hadn't really been talking to either him or his wife since they'd announced their leaving her hometown. He'd been the one who made her go to the dance, hoping she might make a friend or two, and when she'd come home less than ten minutes before, she'd been in such a great mood that he was hoping to keep her that way as long as possible. Beyond that, he was sure that this boy she was talking about was one she'd taken some very specific and special interest in and, well, he was her father. It was his duty to pry into her personal business, especially when it came to boys.

"They were covered in punch?" he gave her a confused look.

"Dripping with it! Stanford got it dumped on him by one of the girls in our class. His jerk of a brother poured it over his own head for some weird reason."

"Stanford is the smart one, I'm assuming?"

"Yes." Theo felt a smile creep onto her face just by having said his name. "Anyway, I watched it happen and they were just covered in punch and their tuxes were so stained—I offered to help them get cleaned up before they went home and their mother killed them."

She paused here, hoping that this was enough for her father. She glanced up at him, but he was still watching her with curiosity. "Go on," he prompted.

"Well, I remembered that we'd stocked 18B6 in the lab when we moved your stuff in, and I know how well it removes stains, so I brought them back and scrubbed out their jackets for them. Stanford really found the solution to be amazing."

"I see. And this Stanford…you think he's cute?"

Theo dropped the plate she was washing into the soapy water. "What? I—no, I—that's—"

Mr. Carding's chuckled and ruffled his daughter's hair. "I'm just messing with you, pumpkin." He looked at her thoughtfully. "You had fun though?"

Theo looked up at her dad and smiled. "Yeah Dad, I did."

"Good." He leaned down and kissed her on the forehead. "Goodnight, Theo."

"Goodnight, Daddy." She started setting out the dishes to dry overnight when she remembered one last thing. "Wait, Dad!" She ran into the hall to catch him on the stairs. "I forgot to tell you! He has six fingers!"

Her father just stared at her. "What?"

"Six fingers! He says he was born with it—some sort of weird anomaly. I think you and he will have a lot to talk about."

Mr. Cardings looked at his daughter one more time. Her eyes were shining, she was smiling, and her face was full of color. He hadn't seen her so happy in weeks, and he wasn't stupid. He knew that it had something to do with this boy.

"Yes, sweetheart," he said thoughtfully. "I think we will." He smiled at her and continued up to bed.

Theo finished stacking dishes and followed him up the stairs. Turning into her room, she worked her way around unopened boxes to her bed. She was exhausted—happy, but exhausted—and just wanted to curl up and sleep forever. With a quick tug at the zipper, she stepped out of her dress and found a pair of shorts and an old t-shirt in one of her boxes.

She thought over the night was she crawled under the covers: the way Stanford smiled at her when he said her name, the way he made her want to smile back, even his brother's awful personality wasn't dulling her mood. It had been an incredible night. She'd made what she hoped would be a friend in Stanford, and she was really looking forward to knowing him. As she fell asleep, she thought that maybe she could even learn to get along with Stanley.

She'd make a home here. She was sure of it. _Nothing to worry about_ , she thought to herself as she finally dozed off. _Nothing at all._


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N:** I know I haven't updated in a year. I honestly thought I would leave this story behind, but these characters have been dancing around in my mind lately, so I thought I might give it another go. This chapter has 0 content. I will say that honestly right now. Kind of fluffy, but not really anything amazing and definitely not my best writing. But enjoy it, if you like.

"Do you need anything before I head out for the day, sir?" Ford stared intently at Dr. Cardings.

"Hmm? What was that?" the older man lifted his eyes to look over the rim of his glasses.

"Did you need anything before I leave? I was going to go home."

"Oh, no, that's quite alright. Theo is coming in to help me clean up."

Ford stopped packing up his things. "Oh. She is?"

"Sure is. Some of your classmates aren't so great at cleaning up after themselves." He nodded toward the sink, where there was a collection of beakers that had obviously been left behind after that day's class. "Theo comes in to help so that we can both make it home for dinner. Her mother's not too happy when we're late." He chuckled to himself.

Ford still hadn't moved. "Well," he said as the back of his neck grew hot, "I could stay and help too. I don't have to be home quite yet."

Dr. Cardings looked at him knowingly. "Mhm." He turned back to the papers he was grading as his daughter came strolling into the classroom.

"Hi Dad!"

"Hi, Sweetie. You know the drill."

Theo looked at the sink, then noticed Ford, standing at his lab bench, staring at her. "Oh, hi Stanford!" She smiled at him. He swallowed, his adam's apple bobbing dramatically.

"Hello, Theodora." He glanced back toward her father, suddenly very aware of him.

"Do you want to help?" She was pulling an apron from one of the cabinets and setting to tying it around herself.

"Um, yes, I suppose so." He rolled up his sleeves while she filled the sink with soapy water. Soon they were both elbow deep in it, scrubbing at lab equipment in silence.

"So," Theo said after a bit, "what're you working on?" She glanced over her shoulder, trying to see what was on his bench, but he'd already cleaned everything up. "Anything brilliant and weird?"

"Well, not really. I'm want to build a perpetual motion machine, but I'm just working on blueprints right now."

"What do you mean 'Not really'? That sounds pretty brilliant to me!" Their hands brushed under the water and Ford jerked away, almost dropping the beaker in his hands.

"Quite a feat for a high schooler," Dr. Cardings chimed in from the back of the classroom.

Ford cleared his throat. "Uh, yes, sir. I suppose it is."

Theo elbowed him. "Don't let Dad intimidate you. He's probably just really interested in it." Ford looked down at his hands, suddenly very embarrassed.

"She's not wrong, you know, Mr. Pines. I'd love to take a look, if you'd let me."

Ford took a moment. He was afraid of insulting Dr. Cardings, partially because he was his teacher, but mostly because he was Theo's father. "If you don't mind, sir," he started, "I'd like to make a little more progress on it first."

Dr. Cardings chuckled. "Of course. It's one of the easiest and worst mistakes a creator can make to show their work to someone else too early. Soon you start questioning whether your ideas are yours or someone else's." Ford smiled, barely. "And there's no need to call me sir, Mr. Pines. Doctor or Mister Cardings will do just fine."

"Oh, uh, yes, si-Mr. Cardings."

The elder man smiled to himself and watched as the younger turned back to his task. Dr. Cardings listened as his daughter asked this new boy about his day. How his weekend had been. What he was planning on doing for the rest of the week. Ford started with short answers. His day was good, thank you. His weekend was fine. But he grew more and more comfortable as their conversation went on. Theo's smile grew bigger and Ford's mirrored it. Dr. Cardings chuckled softly. He'd known when his daughter came home on Saturday night talking about this boy that she was already showing some special interest in him, but now he was certain. And it was clear to him that this boy shared her interest.

To his credit, Dr. Cardings tried to be an easy going father and not interfere. A little innocent flirting was fine. He wasn't in any kind of position to be overbearing yet, but he was sure the day would come. First though, he had to forge his own relationship with this Pines boy. He'd been hearing about him since he had interviewed for the position at the school, and meeting him today had reaffirmed the rumors. He was brilliant.

While the rest of the class stared blankly at him during chemistry, Ford had set to work immediately, not even waiting for instruction. He finished his experiment quickly, handing in his lab report with forty minutes of class time to spare, then ran the experiment again, with a few changed variables. He repeated the experiment twice more before anyone else had even finished their first go. He was back as soon as the final bell rang, sitting down at the same lab bench and pulling out blue prints and a few mechanical parts and working in silence for an hour.

Dr. Cardings hadn't gotten the chance to ask about the six fingers thing, but he knew that he'd be able to touch on it eventually. He was looking forward to getting to know Ford. The conversations he could have with a kid like this…

Ford laughed, shaking the doctor from his thoughts. Brilliant as this kid may be, he was hopeless, romantically. Dr. Cardings shook his head. He knew that struggle all too well.

He cleared his throat when he saw Theo giggle and rest her hand on Ford's arm. "Theo, are you almost done over there?"

"Hmm?" She turned around to face him, ears burning. She'd forgotten that her father was in the room. "Yeah, they're all set to dry for the night."

"Great, I'll be done in just a few minutes. You can head home or you can wait for me."

Theo turned to look at Ford, who'd grown still and whose face was bright red, then turned back to her father. "I'll wait for you."

Dr. Cardings went back to grading and Theo smiled at Ford, who started to smile back, until there was a voice from the door.

"Hey, Poindexter, you ready to go?" They turned around to see Stan in the doorway.

"Oh, uh, yeah. Let me just grab my stuff." Ford hurried to his lab bench to grab his bag.

"Hi Stanley," Theo said with a smile.

"Cardings." Stan glanced at her, barely, and kept his eyes on Ford. "C'mon, Ford. Ma wants us home."

"Right, right." Ford turned to Theo. "I'll talk to you tomorrow." He paled. "I mean, if you want to, that is. I didn't mean to assume-"

She laughed. "I'll talk to you tomorrow, Stanford."

He smiled and nodded and ran out of the classroom and down the hallway. Stan followed, making sickened sounds.


End file.
